Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey and California Rep. Nanette Barragán introduced legislation to bar oil companies from leasing on federal lands if they are found to be colluding to raise prices.
The bill comes after the Federal Trade Commission in May accused a major oil executive of colluding with OPEC nations to artificially inflate oil and gas prices.
Democrats have used the accusation as a springboard into the 2024 campaign, seeking to pin the high gas prices rankling voters on Big Oil and the GOP rather than President Joe Biden’s policies.
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Lawmakers have since piled on the probes, urging the administration to investigate more companies while launching their own congressional investigations.
